Posted on 03/16/2008 4:41:18 AM PDT by tgusa
The legacy of the draconian cuts in military force levels and procurement during the 1990s continues to cast a pall over U.S. national security planning. That American soldiers and Marines have been overstretched by repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan is well-known, and steps are being taken to expand their strength. It is not just the combat forces, however, but the defense industry upon which they depend for arms and equipment, that also needs to be reconstituted.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
But it was supposed to have been the end of history, right? With all of us living in a bright new world order, in peace and harmony...right?
> The “procurement holiday” of the Clinton administration cost the defense industrial base a million jobs.
Little do these fools realise that it was not just jobs. Private industry and private sector entrepreneurs do not have the bulk of cash needed to fund major technology advances. It is the federal government and the military in particular that do this. What are these advances? Home computers, the internet, calculators, velcro, airplanes, penicillin, life saving drugs, even trivial every day items. Do you know where the styrofoam cup came from? The secret project to make the h-bomb.
Right. As I remember, it was GHWB talking about the ‘peace dividend.’ Sad fact is, now we can’t afford to recapitalize the defense industry.
Agreed. Although - converting a commercial aircraft into a tanker ain’t exactly rocket science. Personally, I think the USAF should have had a fly-off by immediately leasing 20 or 30 airframes from each consortium, then picking the best platform. Just my opinion. Any wonder why the voters currently have such an abysmal opinion of the Congress?
When projects like the Joint Strike Fighter are billions over budget due to waste and fraud, some of the defense contractors are creating the argument against more such projects.
Other projects become more like pork, like the Osprey, with many failures but a lot of powerful political backing to keep them funded.
There needs to be more money into defense infrastructure, but more analysis of the best use of the money as well.
“There needs to be more money into defense infrastructure, but more analysis of the best use of the money as well.”
And just who would perform said analysis? The first four letters of ‘analysis’ .....analysis is always a rectal pluck; figures lie, liars figure; any such analysis is as open to fraud and abuse as it can possibly be. Witness the current debate about Roles and Missions going on in the Pentagon - it’s all about budget, and budget is always ultimately about jobs in congressional districts.
Well, a lot of the problem with procurement nowadays is that during the 1990s “peace dividend” RIFs, the government shut down most of its military labs, in the sunny belief that the big contractors could step up and do the right thing and selflessly guide U.S. military R&D.
> Any wonder why the voters currently have such an abysmal opinion of the Congress?
My bet would be that they dislike comgress so much because all Congress can do is bicker and fight among its members; too many social programs and an agenda to make the USA a second rate socialist state.
They spend money on a sink hole to put handouts into the pockets of people who won’t contribute to the betterment of the USA globally.
We need a new space program; we need new bombers; we need new submarines. We need to put a man on Mars. A project to put a man on Mars will create thousands of new technological advances. Getting to Mars is the public relations goal not the purpose of the project.
“They spend money on a sink hole....”
Bingo. Every congresscritter should be required to substantiate his/her earmark(s) in the Congressional Record. It’s all about spending the tax $$ that are confiscated from us.
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